Happenstance
by whistlewhileyouwrite
Summary: AU. Jay Halstead is Northwestern's star soccer player. But when life gets tough, he finds himself hiding away in one of the last places he would think. Erin Lindsay is as quiet as they come, but she was born that way. Her rough life made school an escape, giving her a full scholarship to college. So what happens when a certain guy invades her space, and neither of them mind?
1. Chapter 1

**I've had this idea for a while and while I told myself I would wait to post this until it was more complete, I couldn't take it anymore! Definitely an AU, and y'all, I am really excited about this one.**

 **Please, please let me know your thoughts! Reviews will be dependent on if I continue this! It's felt like the fandom is declining and I want an idea if people are interested in reading!**

 **For those of you that are also reading my other fic, _Ride,_ I am still working on it! I've just been itching to get this one out there!**

 **Much love and enjoy!**

* * *

"Yo Halstead! You ready for tonight?"

Jay turned to look at his best friend come running across the lawn. Adam Ruzek was a dork, but a loveable dork. How Jay survived without him before they met, he hoped to never know.

"Yeah man," he replied as Adam slung his arm over his shoulders. "Should be an easy ass kicking."

Adam just laughed. "That's my man! Oh, and Kev said after party is at his house. Roommates are gone for the weekend."

"Sounds like a plan, dude," Jay responded.

"Ok, I've got to go, late for class," Adam said.

"Are you ever on time?"

"Some days," he replied. "Woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning."

"And by that you mean, in someone else's bed?"

"Exactly," Adam replied, a shit eating grin spreading across his face.

"I'm leaving," Jay said before turning and walking towards the library.

"See ya tonight!" Ruzek called and Jay just laughed.

He easily found a table when he walked in, which was a rare occurrence. It was days like this he was glad he attended a school that was more academically focused, as most students didn't turn and stare at him when he walked in. He settled in, pulling his laptop and headphones from his bag, needing to drown out the real world.

Jay had never been a studious person, but lately he found himself more regimented with his classes than he had before. He may not have been the smartest kid in the bunch, but his soccer skills were stellar, and his dad may be one of the school's brightest alum.

But school had become a distraction, a distraction he was allowing every time he had a free second.

Checking his phone again, he saw that he had about two more hours until he had to report to the club house to get ready for the game. That meant he had maybe one more hour of studying.

But his plan was soon interrupted.

"Hey, Jay," said Allie as she sat down next to him. She was absolutely the last person he wanted to see right now. But there was nothing he could do about it.

"Hey," he said, not looking up from his textbook. He had three more problems to do in this chapter and he was going to finish.

"So, I heard Kevin is throwing a party tonight? After the game?"

"Yep," he replied shortly.

"Well," Allie said, her manicured fingers walking towards his hand. His eyes moved over to glance at her hand before looking back at his work.

"I was thinking we could go together?"

"I don't think I am going," he lied. He told Adam he was going, but she didn't need to know that.

"Aww, why, baby?" The tenor of her voice was getting on his nerves.

"I have an exam tomorrow and I need to study." This was true, but he had studied all week and he wanted to finish that review.

"I am sure there are things that could be done, so you don't have to stress," she whispered, leaning in close. Her hand dropped to his thigh, dangerously close to his dick, but she was fully prepared to grope him right here.

"Sorry, but I can't," Jay snapped, shutting his book and probably wrinkling his paper, but he didn't care. He needed to get out of here.

"Baby," she said again, and Jay did snap then.

"I said no. And while I'm telling you no, I don't think we should continue whatever we have going on," he shot back, not caring that the whole library just heard him.

Grabbing his book, he shoved it into his backpack before slinging it over his shoulder. He was in such a hurry to get out of there, he didn't see the other girl behind him when he turned around.

"Sorry," he apologized when her books crashed to the ground.

"I gotta get out of here," he whispered to himself before hightailing it to the exit, not bothering to help the girl up.

* * *

"Wait what?" Kim nearly screamed.

"Keep your voice down," Erin whispered. She knew explaining this was a bad idea.

"No, you gotta tell me everything."

Erin sighed, looking at her friend.

"Help me here?" she asked, turning to Hailey.

"Oh, I am just as intrigued," she replied, leaning back into her chair. "I will kick his ass Monday in class."

"Ugh," Erin grumbled, laying her head down on top of her book.

"Fine," she said, her words muffled by the book before looking up at her friends, both of whom had grins on their faces.

She then started her story, telling them everything she managed to overhear and ending with her landing on her ass when he knocked her down.

"Hold on," Hailey interrupted. "He didn't even bother to help you up?"

Erin shook her head.

"Oh, he is going to get it," Hailey muttered.

"Hales, don't, he doesn't even know me and let's leave it at that."

"Doesn't matter, Erin."

"He apologized to me, but he said he had to go and then booked it out of the library. Almost like he needed to justify his reasons."

"He shouldn't have to justify them," said Kim. "But hey, who am I to judge?"

Erin laughed a little before turning back to her work. It didn't take long before conversation resumed.

"So, we're going to the game tonight right?" Hailey asked.

"No," Erin replied almost immediately.

"Someone is defensive," Kim said, trying to egg her friend on.

"I'm not being defensive, I'm just busy."

"You're not," both girls replied.

"You are going to sit here on your butt with your nose in a book until they kick you out," Hailey said.

Hailey wasn't wrong though. She spent most of her time here to avoid going home. Some days she made it back, others she crashed on Kim or Hailey's couch. Erin couldn't wait until next year when they were all planning to get a place together, so hopefully she wouldn't ever have to worry again.

But until then, she would stay here.

"Come to the game with us, and we can crash at my place after. My roommate is out of town and what she doesn't know won't kill her," Kim suggested.

"Your roommate is your older sister," Erin pointed out, but laughed while trying to do so. "But fine, I suppose I should be a supportive student."

"Yes!" Hailey said, not keeping her voice down and earning looks from other students.

"But both of you be quiet," Erin said, causing the to nod in reply. But she couldn't ignore the feeling in her stomach that maybe she shouldn't have said yes.

But then again, sometimes she had to throw caution to the wind.

* * *

"Man, you ready?" Adam asked. Jay was trying to get pumped up for this game, but after the library incident and the phone call he hadn't received from his brother, his mind wasn't where it should be.

"Yeah," Jay replied as he finished tying his cleats.

"You good?" Kevin asked, and Jay just nodded.

"We heard what happened in the library," Adam said, his voice dropping an octave.

"I don't wanna talk about it."

"Fine, have it your way. You still coming tonight?"

Jay hesitated before he replied but he eventually shrugged his shoulders.

"I don't know. I've got that exam tomorrow and after Allie interrupted my studying, nothing got done."

He looked at his best friends, who seemed to buy his response. It wasn't a total lie, but he couldn't tell them the real reason.

"Maybe you'll change your mind after we win this game," Kevin replied, slinging his arms around Jay's shoulders. Kevin didn't look like a soccer player. Most people assumed he played football. But he was the best damn goalie in the conference and quite possibly the country. He could have gone anywhere but chose NU to stay close to his younger siblings.

"We will see," he replied before jogging out the locker room to take the field.

* * *

"Why did I agree to this?" Erin muttered as they sat on the cold metal bleachers.

"Because you love us," Kim sang while Hailey laughed alone.

"That's a load of BS," she replied, causing her best friends to cackle besides her.

"I seriously hate you both."

"No, you don't," Hailey said, throwing her arm around her friend's shoulders. "You just happen to tolerate Kim's bullshit."

"Hey!"

"Oh, you know it's true."

The two continued to go back and forth, getting a smile from Erin. It had been a while since they hung out. They had just entered their third year and were starting to buckle down with school work. The only time they ever hung out it seemed was at the library or their once a week coffee dates when they all had a break between classes on campus. Other than that, Erin rarely saw her best friends anymore.

"Hey, the team is coming out," she interrupted, causing them both to look towards the end of the field.

After today, Erin's attention immediately went to Jay Halstead. She wouldn't deny that he wasn't an attractive guy. It also didn't go unnoticed that he was one of the most desirable guys on campus. Normally, Erin would stay away from guys like that, but he was hard to ignore, and especially after Hailey became friends with him because they shared classes. But Hailey had had a boyfriend at the time, so they had become close friends.

As the team neared the sidelines, she caught Jay looking into the stands, presumably looking for someone. Her first thought had been that girl he was talking to in the library, but after overhearing their conversation, she suspected he wasn't looking for her. There seemed to be a look of disappointment on his face but when his eyes landed on her, she was pretty sure her heart stopped.

He almost seemed to study her, and it surprisingly didn't unsettle her. There was something about him, something…different. Despite what people said about him, she could sense there was pain behind his eyes. He looked as though he had aged five years in a span of hours from when she saw him earlier.

She suddenly dropped her gaze as she felt her brain begin to psychoanalyze him. Her mind blamed it on being knee deep in studying for midterms. But she couldn't shake the nagging feeling where part of her wanted to run down and ask him what was wrong.

The pregame fanfare went by in a blur and 10 minutes into the game, Erin felt herself engrossed. No one could pull her away from this game.

The team went into the locker room at halftime with no score and the girls went in search of food.

"So, what do you think so far?" Kim asked as they settled back into their seats.

"You guys were right," she admitted, smiling at their obvious enjoyment of her confession.

"Now if only we could win," Hailey mumbled, but straightened up when the team came back onto the field.

There seemed to be a change in the team as the resumed playing. They seemed to be more aggressive. Erin could understand that, especially after Kim and Hailey explained that this was a big game for them.

Both teams scored, and Kim explained that play would keep going until someone scored or they reached the time for penalty kicks. Erin was confused but didn't have time to ask questions.

Northwestern had scored, bringing the score to 2-1 with 10 minutes left. But suddenly, the stadiums were filled with boos and yelling.

"What's going on?" Erin asked, not getting replies from Kim, who was now shaking her head, and Hailey, who was one of the many people standing and yelling.

"What just happened?" Erin asked again, looking between her friends and the field. She probably shouldn't have done the last part, as she saw a guy she assumed was the coach yelling at one of the referees and two players holding Jay back.

"Halstead got a red card," Hailey said as she sat back down.

"A what?"

"It means he fucked up."

"Okay," Erin replied, assuming that wasn't what that meant.

"I can't wait to hear what he did this time."

Erin didn't question anymore, and went back to the game, this time with less focus. She saw Jay being escorted off the field and into the locker room, so she assumed, along with Hailey's comment that it was something bad.

The rest of the game went by in a blur and they won, 2-1. The walk back to their car was full of chatter between Hailey and Kim, both discussing the game.

"Erin?" Kim asked, and Erin snapped back to reality. Ever since whatever Halstead had done had happened, her mind kept wondering over and over what happened.

"Yeah, what?"

"Chinese or pizza?"

"Pizza, for sure."

"I'll call it in," Hailey offered.

This was one of the time that Erin wished she didn't drive so she could look up what happened. She was sure Hailey would give them information, but she was trapped with just her thoughts for now.

* * *

"Fuck!" Jay screamed when he was back in the locker room.

Of course, this had to happen, today of all days. There was a part of his mind that told him he shouldn't have started shouting at the ref or start fighting with the defender. But he was simply not in the mood to deal with other people.

"What the hell was that?" yelled Antonio. Jay was not in the mood to hear it from him right now, but he fully knew that his trainer will not be forgiving in workouts tomorrow.

"I don't want to talk about it," mumbled Jay.

"Well as your coach and trainer, we are going to talk about it!"

Jay was silent for a moment before kicking the locker. He braced his hand on top and leaned forward, trying to catch his breath and stop his heart from beating so fast.

"I just," he started, his voice quieter and calmer. "I don't want to talk about it right it now. I can't."

He paused, taking a deep breath before collapsing onto the bench. His head fell into his hands, trying to stop the oncoming headache.

"I've had a lot going on lately, and that guy, he just set me off. It wasn't going to take a lot."

Antonio sighed, leaning back against the lockers.

"We all have our days," he said. "But, Halstead, you can't afford to keep this all bottled in. You're going to have to talk to someone."

"Not now."

Antonio sighed, getting the hint that Jay didn't want to talk about this. Not yet, anyways.

The mood changed when the rest of the team came into the locker room, all loud and obnoxious.

"We won!"

The smile on Jay's face was fake, not only because he wanted to be out there, winning with his team, but also because he couldn't allow his teammates to know there was something wrong.

His best friends came over, high-fiving and carrying on about the "world's best ass-kicking" according to Adam.

"You still coming over Halstead?" Kevin asked.

Jay could feel Antonio's eyes on him, but he didn't really care. He deserved a night to get drunk and not think about the real world for a few hours.

"Hell yeah."

* * *

"I swear to god, she tried to quote Legally Blonde in her debate!"

Hailey was telling some story about one of her old classmates and she and Kim were crying, they were laughing so hard. As for Erin, she just tried to keep a smile on her face.

In reality, she couldn't help but feel somewhat detached. She loved the two girls, had since they day they met on their dorm floor. They were some of the few Chicago locals at NU and quickly developed a friendship. But Kim and Hailey had come from "nicer" neighborhoods and didn't need to bust their ass for a scholarship to get in. But at the end of the day, she wouldn't trade them for the world.

"Earth to Erin!" Kim said, waving her hand on front of her face. It startled Erin for sure, but she had been zoning out it seemed a lot more now.

"Yeah?" she answered, clearly confused.

"Do you want another glass?"

Erin shook her head. Again, growing up with Bunny didn't exactly turn her into a wine person. She tried to steer clear of alcohol in general, to avoid turning out like her mom, but she would indulge with the girls occasionally.

"Suit yourself," Kim replied, getting up to grab another bottle of the cabernet they were drinking.

"Hey, Er," Hailey started. Erin figured this was going somewhere she didn't want it to go when Hailey used her nickname.

"Yeah?" she replied, taking a sip of what was left in her glass.

"Who did you say Jay was talking to earlier?"

"I don't know her name, but she had strawberry blonde hair and wearing a resting bitch face."

Hailey let out a bitter laugh before looking at Erin seriously.

"Allie. I should have known."

The name was familiar to Erin, but she couldn't place it at all.

"She's always hung around Jay. I think they had an on and off again thing for a few months, but he was never serious about her. Or that's what he told me."

"Are we gossiping?" Kim asked as she returned to the room. Hailey nodded her head and held up her glass, motioning for it to be filled.

"Allie Corson," she said.

"I hate her," Kim spat, sitting down in the arm chair. "Went to high school with her and she was not nice back then. She started a rumor that the cheer captain had crabs and got pregnant, so they would kick her off the team."

That got a laugh from Erin, but only for the sheer audacity of the story.

"She only hooked up with Jay because he was the big man on campus. She's always been that way. Only a matter of time until she moves on to someone else."

"Jay always seemed bored," Hailey explained. "Before she came into the picture, he seemed happy. I didn't know him enough to get an idea, but after her, it was a different story."

The other two got back into gossiping, once again allowing Erin's mind to wander. She couldn't help but wonder how someone that looked like Allie Corson could suck life out of someone. She had also looked up the game notes and the reason for Halstead's red card. She couldn't blame the dude, she had seen her share of anger in her life.

"Why did you never hook up with him?" Kim asked, causing Hailey to scoff at the idea.

"Please, he's like my brother by now."

"Plus, you've got that thing going with that pre-med student," Erin quipped.

"You what?" Kim yelled, causing her to spill her wine on the floor.

Hailey shot daggers at Erin who just grinned, happy to be a part of the conversation.

"I wasn't telling people that," Hailey replied through gritted teeth. "But for your information, it's not serious. We're just having fun."

"Who is it?" asked Kim, wanting to know every detail now. She was on a "boy detox" she claimed after her last three boyfriends either cheated, lied or got caught plagiarizing. She also swore off stoners getting through on their dad's dime.

"I'm not saying anything," Hailey said, hoping this conversation would get dropped. "And neither will you! Besides, I think it's time for a movie."

Erin didn't argue and was relatively interested when Kim picked an action flick. She was always down for a good movie.

It wasn't even an hour in until Kim passed out on the couch, leaving her and Hailey awake. Erin wasn't sure what time it was before Hailey's phone started ringing.

"Wonder if it's your booty call," Erin asked, knowing it would rile her friend up.

"Oh hush," she said before answering it.

Erin laughed and focused her attention on the movie, but the tone of Hailey's voice had her focusing on her friend.

"Whoa, slow down, where are you?"

Those words were never good. And Erin could guess that whoever was calling was calling from a less than respectable place.

"Okay, okay, I'm leaving now," she said, before motioning to Erin and covering the mic.

"Erin, grab your keys, we gotta go."

She didn't question her friend, just did as she was told. Hailey was telling whoever she was talking to calm down and that she was on her way.

"Hailey, an explanation would be great," Erin said as the headed downstairs. Hailey just waved her off, clearly concerned with who was on the other line.

When they made it to her car, the only words directed at her were directions. Ten minutes later, they pulled outside of an apartment complex, and without any words, Hailey made her way inside. She wasn't running, which made Erin think the situation wasn't highly pressing, but her tone was worrisome.

Erin entertained herself on her phone, keeping an eye on her surroundings. The place wasn't the worst she had ever been in, but it wasn't Northbrook by any means. Eventually, she saw Hailey reappear, this time with two other guys, one of which was helping her practically carry the other to her car.

She wasted no time getting out of the car and opening the back door. Hailey had a pissed off look on her face and the other conscious guy had a somewhat concerned look. The guy in the middle had a drunk smile and Erin had an idea what this was about.

"Thank you," Hailey whispered to Erin. As they got closer, she recognized the drunk dude now laying in the back of her car.

"What happened?" she asked. If she was responsible for this guy, she deserved to know why they were called so late at night to pick him up.

"He had a little too much, and he can get aggressive. After tonight, it was only a matter of time," the other guy explained.

"Thanks Adam," Hailey said, closing the door.

"Anytime," Adam replied. His name was recognizable, but it was dark, and Erin couldn't place him.

Hailey got back into the car and Erin followed. Hailey slammed her head on the seat, taking a deep breath before turning to Erin.

"My place."

Erin nodded and shifted the car in drive, hoping there would be answers as to why Jay Halstead was passed out drunk in the back of her car.

* * *

 **Please leave your thoughts!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I have been blown away by the response I have gotten for this fic. And because of that, you're going to get more!**

 **I will say I already have most of this planned out, so updates _should_ come regularly. Probably not twice a week, but I'm spoiling you while I am on vacation. **

**It means a lot to hear your feedback, and reviews and feedback are much appreciated. (It definitely kicked my butt into writing this chapter!)**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

"Ok, Hailey, what is going on?"

It was close to 2 a.m. and they just managed to get Jay upstairs and into Hailey's studio apartment. He hadn't been happy that he was woken up when they made it back, but he immediately passed out when they sat him on the bed.

Hailey, running her hands through her hair, stopped to look at her friend. Her hands went to her hips as she took a deep breath.

"Jay called me, obviously drunk," she began, her words almost a whisper to not disturb Jay. "He kept going on about how he fucked up and needed to get out of there. Next thing I hear is him throwing up and Adam getting on the line, telling me to come get Jay before something worse happened."

"Ok, that doesn't seem so bad."

"But it's worse. He's been struggling with a lot lately. I don't know what, and clearly after the run-in with Allie and the game, he's a ticking time bomb. And I know him, it's only a matter of time."

Erin sighed now. She could relate to that. Her mom caused her enough stress in her life, still does.

"Thanks Erin," she said after a while. "I'm going to get to sleep. You're welcome to stay, though."

"It's fine, I figured I'll head back to Kim's and deal with her hungover self in the morning."

Hailey laughed before following her to the door.

"Text me when you're back."

"Will do. Night Hales."

As Erin walked back to her car, she couldn't shake the feeling that this was just the beginning.

* * *

Jay groaned as he woke up, the pounding in his head confirming he did in fact have a hangover.

The first thing he noticed was that he was still dressed, followed by the stripped bed spread he was face down on. It wasn't his.

"Morning drunkie," came a cheerful voice.

He groaned again, slamming his head into the bed. He turned enough to peek one eye open, finding Hailey standing in her workout clothes with two coffee cups.

"Morning," he replied, moving to sit up. Taking a sip, he felt better once the first sip went through him. And he guessed he was doing something right when he realized Hailey got his order right.

"I'm going to go shower and then we're going to have a talk."

Jay didn't have time to answer as Hailey disappeared into the bathroom without another word.

Considering he was fully clothed, nothing must have happened last night. He also knew Hailey was not stupid at all. His mind was still trying to piece together the previous night and the coffee was slowly helping.

"You're a dick," said Hailey, walking back into the room. Her hair was damp, and she had changed clothes.

"Excuse me?"

"You are a dick," she repeated, enunciating each word.

"Yeah I got that. But an explanation would be nice."

She grabbed her boots and a pair of socks before sitting on her couch and looking him dead in the eye.

"I did not appreciate getting a call at midnight from you, clearly drunk and then having Adam ask me to come get you. I don't like having to haul your drunk ass up my stairs, and I certainly don't like hearing you were an ass to one of my friends."

Jay just sighed, knowing she wasn't done.

"I screwed up."

"Damn right you did."

"I just, I've got a lot going on."

He couldn't look at Hailey, but he heard her sigh and get up, presumably walking towards him. The bed dipped, and he felt her hand on his back.

"And that's okay. You know you can always talk to me, but I'm not going to pressure you into talking. But seriously, Jay, this isn't like you."

He just nodded, accepting her words. But his mind registered something from earlier.

"Wait, what do you mean I was an ass to one of your friends?" he asked.

The following "ow" came from him as Hailey punched him in the shoulder.

"I get to the library yesterday to hear you knocked Erin to the ground and didn't bother to help her up?"

He tried to remember what she was talking about, and it hit him. He did knock a girl to the ground, but he didn't know she was Hailey's friend.

"Oh."

"Yeah, oh. Explain."

"I wasn't avoiding it, I just…I don't know."

"Jay, seriously, what is going on?"

The concern in her voice was evident and he felt that she was the only one he had in his corner.

"I was trying to get away from Allie and ran into her. I honestly didn't even think about it, just that I needed to get as far away from there as possible."

"This isn't like you."

"I know!" he said, suddenly standing up. "I just, I needed to not think about it!"

Hailey sat silently before following suit, heading over to Jay.

"That's fine. But it's all going to come out sooner or later."

"I just need it to be later," he said, pulling her into a hug. "Thank you though."

He kissed the top of her head as she squeezed him tighter.

"You're the little sister I never wanted."

That earned him a shove and a laugh, and he was glad he could have lightened the mood.

"Come on, Halstead, we have class and you need to not reek of alcohol. I'll drive."

"Have I told you you're the best?"

"Have I told you to kiss my ass?" she retorted.

The laughter that followed was just what he needed, and he felt today would be good.

* * *

It wasn't even 9 a.m. and Erin was already on her second coffee. Quite frankly, she deserved it.

She was woken up at 6 to the sound of running water. Kim had emerged from the bathroom shortly after with a look that meant she didn't want to hear it. She finally spoke once they had coffee before Erin realized she needed to go home before her 11:30.

Knowing what waited for her at home, she took some to go, promising Kim she would return the travel mug. It was early enough she might avoid any drama, but with her mom, she never knew.

She was grateful she had her own car, allowing her to escape when she needed too. It had been a gift of sorts, when she graduated high school. One of the older lady's in her building couldn't drive anymore and Erin had helped her out over the years. It started with helping her unloading her groceries and soon after, Erin was running errands and helping clean. Erin had always refused to let her pay. The woman had become a motherly figure for Erin and she didn't know what she would have done without her. When they took away her license, she had gifted her call to Erin.

By the time she reached her building, she could see the curtains were still closed in the apartment, which likely meant her mom wasn't home, which meant her mom's boyfriend wasn't home. Hopefully, she could get in and out and avoid anyone and make it back to campus on time.

The building wasn't bad by any means, but it wasn't a five-star hotel. Her mom's newest man, who had been around the longest, was the one paying the rent. She had been required to live on campus her first year, and even while she worked, she didn't have enough saved to move in with Hailey and Kim. But it worked out when Kim's sister decided to stay and get her master's. So, the moving in together was put on hold.

For now, she was stuck here, but she reached a point where she was only here to shower and sleep and that was fine with her.

Her first sigh of relief came when the front door was locked. The second came when the lights were out. So far, so good.

She made it to her room without incident, opting to shower later tonight when she knew her mom would be gone. After changing clothes and grabbing the books she needed for today, she made her way back downstairs.

It was all going just fine.

"Erin? Honey, what you are doing?"

Internally, she cursed whoever was giving her bad karma. After last night, she should have enough to last the week.

Turning around, she was met with her mom, clearly hungover too.

"Hey mom, I was just heading to class."

"Where were you last night? We got home and didn't see you?"

"I slept at a friend's," she replied. There was no use explaining it was at Kim's cause her mom never remembered.

"Honey, did you use protection?"

"Mom!"

"I know you worked so hard to get your scholarship, I don't want to see something happen to you."

"I was at Kim's, mom. I fell asleep watching a movie." Her mom didn't need to know everything that had happened, but she wasn't invested enough to go poking around.

"Ok, honey. Will I see you for dinner?"

No, mom, because I have a night class tonight to avoid you, Erin thought.

"No, sorry. I have class."

"Oh, okay. Well Johnny and I would love to have dinner sometime soon. I feel like I don't see you anymore."

There's a reason for that, Erin thought.

"Ok, well I'm late. I'll see you later, mom."

She was out the door before her mom could say another word.

* * *

Jay was close to falling asleep when something sharp poked his arm. He jumped at the contact before turning to see Hailey holding her pencil, wearing a smirk on her face.

"I hate you," he whispered, to which she just shrugged and turned back to their professor lecturing.

He made her sit further up in the lecture hall, so the evidence of his hangover could be hidden from their professor. One of the downsides of being a student athlete was that the professors knew who you were. He couldn't have his professor be telling his coach he was hungover.

"Next time don't get black out drunk on a school night."

He shot daggers at her and she just smiled back. It was impossible not to stay mad at her, but he would until he got more food and water in him.

Until then, he would continue to zone out and accept these were the last few quiet moments he would get for the day. There was no telling if he would get studying done today, and after zoning out in class, he doubted he would focus. Practice later didn't sound great either, because he knew Dawson would give him harder workouts because of the red card he got last night.

"Let's go," Hailey interrupted what seemed like seconds. He snapped out of his daze to find everyone leaving.

"So, notes?" he asked, giving her that smile that usually worked.

"When you don't get drunk and pass out on my bed, sure."

She clearly wasn't letting him off the hook.

"But I will buy you coffee on the way. You look like hell."

The sarcastic laugh that followed had her laughing as he followed her out of class.

"That class will be the death of me," he said as they walked.

"You're telling me. But it's required so we're out of luck."

"As least you get to suffer with me," he quipped, throwing his arm over her shoulder.

He could tell she was rolling her eyes before shoving his arm off her.

"You love me."

"Most days," she replied as they reached the coffee shop.

They quickly ordered before he heading to the library. Hailey had another class, one of the few they didn't share so he was on his own.

"I'll email you the notes when I get to class. We're supposed to read the next two chapters."

The grin that spread across her face had her rolling her eyes again.

"You're the best," he replied.

"Whatever Halstead," she shot back, turning to walk to her class.

Jay turned to walk into the library. He tried to keep his head low, but that was hard when he was trying to find a table. But what most people didn't know, was about the basement of the library. It was much quieter and almost always had open tables.

He could hear the hustle and bustle disappear as he walked downstairs, and sure enough, there were plenty of open tables. He quickly scanned them, looking for the best one, when the one in the back corner caught his eye. But not because it was empty.

Something told him to walk over there. He felt pulled, compelled even, to head over. You usually don't see that table first thing when you walk in, as it was hidden behind some bookcases and was quite secluded.

As he walked over, he couldn't see who it was. The dirty blonde hair looked familiar, but it framed the girl's face. It seemed something could read his mind, as the girl tucked her hair behind her ear and it hit him. It was Erin.

* * *

The only class she had today was her one later tonight. But she wasn't about to tell her mom that. For all she cared, Bunny could think she had classes every single second of every single day.

The library was her sacred place. It was the one place she could be alone, and no one would bother her or judge her. Everyone else had their own shit they were handling and ever since discovering the library's basement, it had become her second home.

But about halfway through writing out her notecards, she felt the air around her change. It felt like someone was watching her. This is why she came to the library, because she didn't have to worry about people all up in her business. A moment after, she could see someone out of the corner of her eye. She tried not to make it noticeable that she noticed, but she did.

She shouldn't have looked up. She should have avoided him and maybe he would disappear. But after what felt like hours, he was still there.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice quiet but sharp. She all but slammed her pen onto the table to emphasize her dislike for being interrupted. But her irritation left her when she was met with a pair of sharp blue-green eyes.

Jay Halstead was staring down at her, surprise written on his face. It could have been from the harshness of her voice or the recognition that it was her he knocked down yesterday.

His eyes looked the same as last night when she caught them at the game. Even if he tried to hide the pain she saw, he looked distressed. Despite the obvious hangover, she sensed the weight of the world was on his shoulders and she wanted nothing more than to take that burden from him.

Where did that come from?

She had been lost in her thoughts when he spoke, but his words caught her attention now.

"Do you mind if I join you?"

* * *

Jay had every intention of joining Erin, Hailey's friend. But he didn't realize this was the same girl he noticed at the game last night.

He supposed if he noticed, Hailey was probably standing next to her. But when he caught her gaze, he was assaulted by _her._ It was a feeling he had never felt, but it felt different and _right._

Meeting her eyes last night had eased the tension he was feeling before the game. Maybe had the same thing happened after halftime, he wouldn't have gotten that red card and he wouldn't have gotten drunk last night. But there was a small part of his mind that told him it wouldn't have mattered, because he would have met her regardless.

One look at her made every worry in his mind melt away.

"Umm, sure," she answered, snapping him back to reality.

She began to clear off some of the table that was littered with her laptop and books. He took the seat across from her, trying not to make this more awkward than it already felt.

He didn't miss the slight blush to her neck as he sat down. She was clearly nervous at his presence, but she had said yes, so didn't that have to mean something? His brain was still trying to process that the girl he saw in the stands was the same one that he ran into yesterday that was also Hailey's friend.

"I'm sorry," he said, causing her to stop and look up at him.

"For yesterday, knocking you down and leaving before helping you. I didn't realize you were Hailey's friend Erin."

Erin nodded before shrugging her shoulders.

"No worries," she replied, and he noticed her voice had a rasp that did things to him.

"I guess I forgave you last night by picking you up."

It was his turn to act surprised. He wouldn't consider it an act, because he was surprised.

"I thought that was Hailey?"

"It was, I just had the car."

"Well I guess I owe you a thank you as well."

Erin laughed and shook her head. But Jay thought he caught the tail end of something she mumbled to herself. Something about this nothing being the first time.

* * *

Jay Halstead was sitting in front of her. She wasn't fawning over him by any means. If anything, she was more amused at how nervous he looked. She doubted he realized that.

She never got nervous around a guy, but here she was. He did something to her. Her heart felt light and her body felt warm. She crossed her legs subconsciously to control what she was feeling.

No more words were spoken between them as he began reading his textbook. If she had felt something just by looking at him and hearing his voice, then it didn't compare to watching him now. The way his shoulders hunched as he became immersed in whatever he was reading. The way his forearms rested on the table and flexed when he took a break to type on his computer. Even his damn cologne was intoxicating, despite the fact she guessed he went slightly overboard to mask the smell of liquor.

Every once in a while, she stole a glance at him, and she could feel him looking at her. She couldn't imagine how they looked to others. Did they see two friends, studying together? Or was it something else.

What surprised her the most was the fact he was actually studying and seemed interested in whatever he was reading about. Erin would be lying if she said she assumed he was a typical student athlete coasting through classes just to make it through college. It was then that she didn't see Jay Halstead as Northwestern's star soccer player.

She saw him as someone she wanted to know more about.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thank you again my sweet friends for all the lovely comments. It means a lot and it definitely motivation to get me writing!**

 **I'm gonna keep this short and sweet so you can get to reading, but I do want to warn you now that there will be a tiny time jump in the next chapter. I promise I have my reasons!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

There were times when being a student athlete came in handy. There was no shortage of girls, booze and free stuff thrown at you. Sometimes you got lucky and professors would cut you slack during your season. But sometimes, the perks meant that you had access to places regular students didn't. This was true as Jay sat in the soccer locker room.

He just needed a minute, or ten. He wanted to take a breather after the week he'd been having. They lost their game Sunday, he had an exam Tuesday. Allie had made a reappearance and he was not in the mood to even think about her.

The circumstances that led him here were because of his brother. Will was in medical school in New York and doing god knows what, or who. The man had a different girlfriend every single time Jay talked to his brother. But despite all his questionable choices, Will was shaping up to be a damn good doctor.

Will had called about an hour ago, and Jay had assumed everything would be fine. It wasn't and now he was left alone with no one to talk to. His dad could care less, and he didn't want to burden his mom. But there was one other person he felt he could trust enough to talk to, and that was Erin.

He had seen her and Hailey at their last game and he remembered giving her a smile when he spotted her in the stands. She smiled back, and he noticed then that she had these dimples that made him feel lighter just looking at her. They had studied together one other time since that first day, and she had been the one to find him in the library. Just like the first time, they exchanged very few words, but it all felt so comfortable.

Checking his watch, he realized he had been sitting there for close to two hours, which was way longer than he expected. He also realized his next class started in 20 minutes. Cursing at himself, he grabbed his bag and jacket, and nearly sprinted out of the locker room.

* * *

"So," Hailey began, her chin resting in her hand. "Are we going to talk about what's going on with you and Jay?"

"Hailey!" Erin said, her head whipping around in hopes no one heard her.

"What?" she replied, picking up her burger to take another bite.

"There is nothing happening. We've studied together twice and have spoken maybe 2 sentences."

"Doesn't matter. I saw the way he looked at you the other night."

Erin had to bite her cheek to hold back a smile, remembering what Hailey was referring to. She had dragged Erin to another soccer game, but this time, she was a little more willing to go considering who would be there. Just like the last time, his eyes caught hers, but it was different, too. She couldn't help but return his smile that made her insides melt. He didn't get ejected either, and she was going to take credit for that, after she got a similar smile when he came back onto the field following halftime.

"There's nothing going on Hailey. Maybe he was glad to see a friendly face."

"Friendly face, my ass," Hailey mumbled, but loud enough that Erin could hear.

"I'm done having this conversation with you" Erin said, picking up her fork to take a bite of her pasta.

"Whatever. I'm gonna say I told you so eventually."

Erin shot a glare at her best friend, but she couldn't stay mad for long. There was a little voice in her head that told her maybe Hailey was right, that there was something going on. But like hell was she going to give her the satisfaction of saying "I told you so".

Something else told Erin she would be saying those words.

"So, what's going on with your little boy toy?" Erin asked, causing Hailey to nearly choke on a fry.

"Never say "boy toy" ever again," she said, but she didn't deny anything.

"Are the two of you ever going to make anything official?"

"Likely not," Hailey replied, avoiding eye contact now. "At the end of the semester, he's studying abroad in Guatemala. Something about wanting to do more humanitarian work."

"Oh, I'm sorry girl. I know you liked him."

Hailey nodded sadly. Erin knew that Hailey had been developing feelings for Connor, and here he was getting to leave less than six months after they met.

"Can we talk about something other than boys?" Hailey asked, causing Erin to nod enthusiastically.

* * *

He spotted her instantly, giving up on his search for an empty table, or Erin.

"Hey," Jay said as he got closer before pulling out the chair at the table.

Erin looked up, finding Jay sitting down across from her.

"Hi," she replied. "How are you?"

"I've been better," he answered honestly. "And you?"

"Same. Better days are behind me."

"Well, I am sure there is something you can look forward to."

"Maybe there is," she said softly, turning her attention back to her textbook.

Jay couldn't look away, content with just studying her instead of his notes. It had been something he started to do a lot whenever he saw her. At this point, he could tell where the little beauty mark on her face was and the direction of her light curls.

He wondered how soft her hair would feel between his fingers and if her skin was as smooth as it looked. More than that, he wanted to know everything that made her tick, why she spent so much time here and why he saw pain in her eyes whenever she would leave.

"What?" he heard her say. When he snapped back to reality, he realized she caught him staring. She wore a bemused smirk on her face, and that cause him to blurt out his next thought.

"Do you wanna get coffee? Together?"

The smirk she wore fell from her face, causing a look of shock to be replaced. She opened and closed her mouth a few times, trying to get words to come out. He found it amusing he had managed to stun her this much, but he still wanted an answer.

"Erin?"

Her mouth snapped shut, almost appearing to not trust her own words. Instead, she just nodded, causing a smile to spread across Jay's face.

"Do you want to go now?"

Erin nodded again, a small and shy smile gracing her features, and Jay decided he wanted nothing more in life than to get that smile from her again. He stood up, packing his backpack and watching her do the same. He couldn't help but laugh at her movements, shoving everything into her bag faster than may have been necessary.

"What are you laughing at?" she asked, zipping her bag and standing up.

"You. Watching you then was amusing," he answered honestly.

Jay swore he saw her blush, falling into step beside him. It all felt familiar, even if this was all so new. In that moment, he did the only other thing that felt right.

He took her hand in his, leading the way.

* * *

"So," Erin said, trying to find a way to start this conversation.

"So," Jay repeated, setting down both their coffees.

Erin didn't expect the awkwardness. She certainly felt nervous, but she didn't think Jay would.

She had to fight the urge to pinch herself, because here she was on a coffee date with Jay Halstead. Well, he hadn't said it was a date, but it certainly felt like one.

"Why don't we turn this into a game of 20 questions?" he suggested, and Erin nodded in response. That was certainly one way to get this going.

"You first," she said, taking a sip of the latte she ordered.

"Ok then. Here's an easy one: what's your major?"

"Human development and psychological services."

"Wow," Jay replied, surprised. Here he was expecting something along the lines of, he didn't know, English or history.

"Care to share why?"

"Isn't it my turn to ask you a question?" she said, her eyebrow raised towards him.

"Fair enough," Jay replied, leaning back in his chair.

"Why almond milk?" she asked.

He laughed at that question, as he hadn't been expecting that.

"That's your question?" he asked, getting an eager nod from her in response. "Ok, then. My mom liked it better than regular milk, so she always gave it to us. I guess I developed a taste for it over the years."

She found herself anticipating some answer about him being a health nut, but she didn't miss the way his face softened when he mentioned his mom.

"Care to share why?" Jay asked, repeating his earlier question.

Erin paused. Not many people had ever asked her why, but she didn't feel comfortable divulging information about her mom and her past to someone who was basically a stranger.

"I grew up in a rougher neighborhood," she began, the words spilling out. "I guess I just want to be able to do something to help them."

It wasn't the whole truth, but it was close enough. It was the safe answer.

"That's impressive," he said. The look on his face told her that he really meant those words.

"And what about you?"

"What about me?"

"Why are you in legal studies?" she asked.

Jay paused, leaning forward to look her in the eye.

"All my life, I wanted to be a cop. When my brother and I played cops and robbers, I begged him to let me be the cop. I'm pretty sure he agreed only because he liked tackling me."

Erin laughed, and she swore a smile grew on his face.

"When I got my scholarship, I couldn't pass that opportunity up. Northwestern was still close to home and had a hell of a soccer program, so I figured why not."

Jay continued to intrigue her in every single way. Erin expected this hot shot, egomaniac athlete, but she was learning that was far from the truth. Each answer he gave made her want to know even more. She wanted to ask about his brother, as it was the first time she's heard Jay mention him, but they were playing a game after all.

After that, conversation seemed to be easier. Erin's nerves disappeared when she realized that Jay was a normal guy. She learned that his brother, Will, was in med school in New York and she didn't miss the very casual way he said it, almost like there was more to the story. The more he shared, quirks and all, the more she could understand why Hailey spoke so highly of him.

"So, how did you and Hailey become friends," he asked, seeming to be able to read her mind. "Did she bribe you like she did to me?"

Erin laughed, because she knew that story. The first time Jay and Hailey had been put in a group for a class project, she had to promise food for him to show up to work. Apparently now he did as he was told.

"Actually no. You just must be special," she replied, getting another laugh out of Jay. "We lived on the same floor of our dorm. Hailey, Kim and I were some of the only Chicago natives surprisingly, and we bonded over where the best pizza is."

"We've had that argument our fair amount of times," Jay quipped.

"And she will argue until she is blue in the face, or you admit she is right."

"She definitely will," Jay said, looking down at his phone before quickly standing up. "Shit, I have practice in a few."

"No worries," she said, standing up with him. "I've got some more homework, so I was going to head out anyways."

Jay gave her a short nod and motioned for her to lead the way. The Chicago air hit their face as they stepped out of the coffee shop. He watched Erin pull her jacket tighter around her small frame, trying to save herself from the chilly winds.

The five-minute walk back to campus was silent, but it wasn't as awkward as either had expected. Jay wanted nothing more than to hold her hand again, but her hands were currently shoved into her jacket pockets. But he wanted more of this, he wanted the chance to learn more about her and ask his remaining eight questions for her.

"This is me," she said, motioning to the library entrance behind her. Jay stopped too, turning to look at her. There was something about her as the wind whipped her hair all around, but she didn't seem to mind at all. The small smile on her face told him as much.

"I guess this is where I leave you," he said, shoving his hands into the pockets of his jeans.

"Yeah," she replied softly, nodding and turning her attention to the ground. "I'll see you around. Thanks for today."

"Anytime," Jay said, backing up slowly to walk towards the practice facility. Erin turned to walk into the building but that didn't stop him from calling after her. She turned right away, that eyebrow of hers quirking slightly to tell him he had her attention.

"A bunch of us are going out later. Would you want to join? I think Hailey is going, too."

His suggestion came out all at once, because he didn't want to leave her now. He wanted more time with her, and he suddenly found himself craving her.

"Sounds like fun," she said with a smile.

* * *

The place Jay suggested was crowded. But it was clearly a college bar, so it shouldn't have surprised her.

Erin wasn't one to shy away from going on, she just normally spent her time elsewhere to avoid running into anyone she, or her mom, knew. It was better to avoid the opportunity and her mother's nagging. She was going to give herself this one night, knowing she needed to blow off steam after the back to back exams she had in the last week.

"Erin!"

Looking around to find the voice that yelled her name, she spotted Kim, but she should have known. Kim had a loud voice. She felt herself relax a little more knowing that she had another friend here. As she got closer, she spotted Hailey on the barstool next to her. Make that two friends.

"Hey guys," she said, hugging both girls and sliding onto the seat Hailey just vacated. Erin finally felt herself relax as she became sandwiched between her two best friends.

"We're so glad you came!" Kim said loudly. The girl was on her way to tipsy, and Kim was a fun and giggly drunk.

"Well I am glad for the invite," she replied, looking around to spot Jay.

"He isn't here yet," Hailey said, taking a sip of her beer. "He texted and said he and the guys were on their way. Practice ran late.

Erin just nodded, trying to hide the slight disappointment she felt. She didn't know why; Hailey just told her he was coming.

"Hey," Hailey said quietly, nudging her side. "He's gonna be here. He invited you after all."

Erin simply smiled at her friend's words. It was surprising to her that she wasn't trying to hide how she felt about Jay around Hailey. Kim, maybe, but Hailey was one of his good friends, that she knew. She wouldn't say it was to get into his good graces, because something told her Hailey would approve. But she never had a girlfriend to talk about this stuff with, and no offense to Kim, Hailey was probably better with the relationship advice.

"I know," Erin replied, turning back around to see a beer in front of her. She didn't remember ordering a drink, but out of the corner of her eye, she saw Hailey smiling at something. It didn't take long to see she was smiling at someone.

"I think I owed you one."

She looked up, matching the voice to its owner as she was met with those blue-green eyes belonging to none other than Jay Halstead. The smile that spread on her face was sincere, because she was happy to see him. The fact that he was standing here with that grin on his face that made her melt, had her ignoring the "told you so" comment from Hailey.

"Well I thought it was rude to keep a lady waiting," she said, her sarcastic comment catching her off guard. Was she flirting?

"It is, but you can blame this one here for that," he responded, motioning to Adam Ruzek over his shoulder.

"Will do," she said as he sat down.

It didn't take long for the conversation to start, which seemed to flow between them as did the drinks. Every once in a while, she would spot Adam and Kim talking off to the side, and she guessed that they were going back to someone's place later. Hailey stayed, as did Kevin Atwater and Greg Gurwitz, two of Jay's teammates she met after they arrived. She was glad to see Hailey relaxing, knowing whatever happened with her and Connor had her down these past few days.

Every time he opened his mouth, Jay Halstead became more and more intriguing. He was far from the hot-shot athlete everyone on campus adored. He was funny and sarcastic, two things Erin didn't know she liked in a guy. Whenever her drink would get low, he would go to get her another without prompting or hesitation, but always asking her if she wanted another. He eventually moved next to her when the party behind them got a little rowdy. There wasn't anything bad to be said about him.

Sometime after he had moved to stand by her and getting her another beer did she realize how close they were. She wasn't drunk, or even tipsy, enough to not notice how his jean covered thigh brushed her leg when he walked away, or how it slid between her legs when he returned. She didn't know if he knew what he was doing, but she didn't mind it one bit. Her outside leg began swinging to see if he noticed. Erin's thoughts were confirmed when his right hand fell on her thigh, squeezing lightly.

"Erin," he whispered into her ear, his hot breath on her neck making her shiver despite the heat that was on in the building. "Don't think I don't notice what you're doing."

She didn't give him a response, just leaned back and smiled softly up at him.

"As much as I want to, I'm not taking you home with me. Not without a proper date."

Despite his refusal for this to end how she hoped, she finally understood what girls in romance novels and rom-coms meant by the butterflies.

"Are you asking me out?" she asked, her tone becoming serious.

"Are you saying yes?"

"Maybe," she replied, her hand moving to his own that rested on her thigh. Instantly, he turned his hand over, his fingertips dancing along her palm.

"Then yes, I am asking you out."

The smile on her face was instantaneous. Never had a guy asked her out before, or at least in this shy way that Jay had. She could see in his eyes and feel with his hand on her leg that he was nervous. It also didn't escape her attention that she had managed to make Jay Halstead nervous.

"Are you going to say yes?" Erin heard from behind her. The laugh she let out was full bodied, as she had forgotten Hailey had been sitting beside her.

"Are you?" Jay asked, getting some kind of satisfaction that Hailey was on his side.

"If you would shut up," she said, turning to face Hailey before looking back at Jay. "Then yes, I am saying yes."

It was Jay's turn to smile as his hand intertwined with hers. His smile was so real and pure that Erin wanted to see it forever. She wanted to do anything to be able to see that smile on her face, the one that made his eyes crinkle and these dimples pop out. Somehow, his smile made her notice all the freckles dotting his face, giving this school boy happiness to his features.

Her heart fucking melted.

"Although, I hate to break this moment, but I really need to go," she told him as she heard the bartender yell for last call. She was sure everyone would stick around for another hour, but she need to be home before her mom and avoid her smelling the smoke and alcohol on Erin.

Jay seemed to understand, nodding his head.

"I'll walk you out, just let me close my tab."

She nodded this time before turning to Hailey.

"I'm leaving," she began, but continued when she saw the smirk on Hailey's face. "Alone. Jay is just walking me out."

"You know you wanna get with that," she said, her words as suggestive as always. Hailey was a sarcastic drunk, seeming to become sassier when she had a few. Erin always envied her because you could never tell if she was sober or not.

"Not tonight," she said, slipping on her jacket. "I'll see you tomorrow."

"Bye!" Hailey replied, before turning to continue her conversation with Mouse.

When Erin turned around, she headed to the bar, card in hand to pay her own tab. Before she could get close enough, Jay stopped her.

"What are you doing? I need to pay."

"I took care of that."

"Jay," she began, looking up at him. "You did not pay for all my drinks."

"Yes, I did, now let's go," he said, slinging his arm over her shoulders. Despite her slight annoyance that he had paid for her, she wasn't going to fight the closeness and warmth of his body. She reached her hand up to grasp his own, smiling as she felt him turn to her, his nose nuzzling her face, almost as if he needed to touch her in some way. She supposed she could argue with him when they were both sober, and when he was not being so perfect.

As they walked out of the bar, they were met with the cold air, the wind having picked up since she walked in. Erin was glad Jay was so close, his body keeping her warmer than her jacket could do alone. Jay instantly spotted a cab, leading them over. Their short walk was quiet, and Erin took in the moment. She had never felt so at peace and so safe that she wanted to experience this, him, every day.

"Thanks for coming," he whispered into her ear as he trailed the lightest of kisses from the shell of her ear down the exposed skin of her neck.

"Thank you for the invite. I had fun."

"Me too," Jay said.

They briefly stepped apart, so Jay could flag down the cab. Erin had expected him to go with her, but Jay, ever the gentleman as she was learning, opened her door for her.

"I'm gonna wait for Mouse. He's my roommate so there's no point in getting separate rides home, as much as I want to."

Erin nodded, understanding completely. She wouldn't lie and say she was relieved that he wasn't going with her. She couldn't imagine having to explain that she was a 21-year-old living with her mom. A mom that happened to be a drunk and thought Erin going to college was useless.

"Thanks again," she said softly before turning to get into the cab. Time suddenly seemed to slow as she felt his hand grasp her wrist, pulling him back to her.

She didn't have time to process what was happening before his mouth landed on hers. Even with the cold air, his lips were warm, seeming to warm up her insides. They moved in sync and to anybody around, it would have looked like they had this down. Everything just felt right, like he was the missing puzzle piece in her life.

Jay pulled back far too quickly for her liking, resting his forehead against hers as his breath came out in soft pants, hitting her face lightly. He eventually leaned his head back, before going in to peck her lips once more.

"Good night, Erin," he said, releasing the grip on her wrist.

"Good night Jay," she replied, sliding into the cab and watching him close the door.

Her eyes stayed locked onto his, taking in everything about him. The way his hands shoved into his pockets to keep them warm, but he still stood in the cold watching her drive away. Even as he disappeared from her sight, her mind replayed every moment of that night on loop, keeping her on cloud nine until she fell asleep, her dreams becoming flooded with him as well.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi all! Back with more!**

 **There is also a *slight* time jump in this chapter of about a month, give or take. But it's not super important to the rest of the story.**

 **Thanks as always for the love and support. Because of that, I am going to try and update this regularly on Tuesdays, but take that lightly as I'm a full-time college student who is about to be hit with exams and final papers.**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Jay woke up to the flooding of light from the windows. He forgot to close the blinds the night before, so he was up when the sun was up. It didn't bother him, he was used to the early hours after all the before school workouts he put in during high school. Even in college he still had them, but not as often.

Thinking about soccer made him aware of the aches in his body. They had a game the night before and he collided hard with an opposing player. He knew he was going to be sore this morning, so he tried to stretch out but was stopped when he noticed a weight on his bicep. He must have been really tired if he didn't notice it earlier.

Turning his head, he didn't fight the smile that spread across his face. He simply turned onto his side, curling his arm so his fingertips danced along her back.

"Good morning," he whispered when he saw she was awake. Her eyes slowly opened, the scowl on her face at the harsh light being replaced with a smile when she noticed him.

"Hi," Erin said, moving closer to wrap herself in his arms. She peppered kisses on his bare chest, moving up until she met his lips. These slow and lazy kisses in the morning were what he now craved.

They stayed like that until Jay's stomach required him to get up. He was completely okay with eating breakfast in bed, as long as Erin was with him.

As he climbed out of bed, he heard a gasp from Erin. Turing around, he found her sitting in bed, her posture rigid as she stared at his bare torso.

"What?" he asked, concerned at the worried look on her face.

"Your back," she whispered.

Jay walked towards the bathroom and flipped on the light. As he reached the mirror, he could see why she was worried. There were black and blue splotches all over, a clear sign of the hit he took last night that caused the guy's leg to hit his back.

In the mirror, he saw Erin join him in the bathroom. She continued to look at his back, and Jay noticed the light pain when her soft fingertips began tracing the bruises. They traveled all the way from his shoulders to below the waistband of his sweatpants. He continued to watch Erin in the mirror, and the concern on her face was evident.

"Hey," he said, turning her so she couldn't see the bruises anymore. "I'm okay. Nothing some rest won't fix."

Her hands trailed up his arms before grasping his neck, pulling him down towards her. It was a quick kiss, the one that was to reassure your partner that everything was okay.

"Breakfast?" Jay asked when she pulled back.

"Definitely," she replied. "I'm just gonna put on some yoga pants first. Not sure how I feel about giving your roommates a show.

Jay laughed, his hands inching the hem of the shirt she wore, his shirt, up. She immediately swatted his hands away before giving him a light shove towards the door.

"Go make me coffee, Halstead."

"Yes ma'am," he replied, pecking her lips quickly before walking out of his bedroom.

Jay wasn't entirely sure what was happening in the living room of his shared apartment, but he could faintly hear ESPN. Sure enough, Mouse was sitting on the couch, a bowl of cereal on the coffee table as the highlights from the night before played on the TV.

"Damn Halstead, she do that?" Adam said, walking into the room as well. Jay rolled his eyes before continuing to the kitchen, knowing his roommate had seen the bruises on his back.

"You can blame that asshole from last night."

"That's from last night? It didn't look like that bad of a hit!" Adam said.

"I was laying on the ground for two minutes because the wind got knocked out of me. Yes, it was that bad."

"Damn," Adam whispered before plopping onto the couch next to Mouse.

"Where's Kev?" Jay asked as made more coffee

"Had a PT appointment this morning to work out his knee," Mouse answered.

Jay didn't reply, just nodded his head to himself. There wasn't much around the kitchen causing him to wonder if he should just take Erin out to breakfast.

"Good morning, Erin," Jay heard Adam say. Two seconds later he saw her walk into the kitchen.

"Morning guys," she replied over her shoulder. "Hey, where's my coffee?"

He just shook his head, knowing how she was with her coffee. The coffee was just about done, and he handed her the mug first.

"There's creamer in the fridge, sugar in the pantry."

She nodded, moving to where he directed to get both creamer and sugar. Jay fixed his own coffee and was content to stand there in the kitchen with Erin.

After they had downed their coffee, Jay started to think again about breakfast.

"So, there's no food here, unless you want Frosted Flakes. You got any plans?"

Erin shook her head, placing her mug in the sink before walking over to him.

"I know a good breakfast spot not far from here," he said, his hands reaching for her hips to pull her close.

"Is this going to be our first date?" she asked. They still hadn't had their first date, as the postseason had picked up and Erin was slammed with school work.

"I'm still taking you on a proper date, but if you want to call it that, then sure."

Erin just smiled, rising on her tip toes to kiss him. He couldn't fight the smile that spread across his face, everything feeling so right.

"So," Erin said, setting her coffee down. "What is this?"

* * *

Jay stopped chewing, caught off guard by her question.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Erin looked him in the eye, her elbows resting on the table.

"We've gone out together, although it's been with other people, kissed more than a few times. Do I need to remind you that I woke up in your bed this morning?"

No, she didn't, Jay thought, the memory making him smile. "No," he answered anyways.

"Granted, we haven't taken any other steps yet, but neither one of us is slowing down, so what is this? What are we?"

It was Jay's turn to look her in the eye. He couldn't help but smile when he thought about his answer.

"Well, I would like to think you are my girlfriend."

Erin smiled, her hand moving to grab ahold of Jay's, however the table was too wide and instead their fingertips barely touched, but both were content to lazily play with the other's hand.

"I think I would like that," she said.

"I have to be honest with you, Erin, it's been a while since I have had a girlfriend."

"How long are we talking?" she asked.

Jay paused, pretending to think. "Well there was Carissa, but we only dated for two days before she asked out another boy on the playground."

He had tried to be serious with his answer, but he clearly failed when Erin burst into laughter.

"How old were you?" she asked.

"I think that was in second grade?"

"That was your last girlfriend?"

Jay nodded, suddenly embarrassed as he realized he had never had a serious girlfriend. There had been girls over the years, but there was nothing about them that made him want to ask them out.

"Yeah, I guess so," he said, his attention being diverted to the remainder of the biscuit and gravy on his plate.

"Hey, Jay," Erin said softly, using their still touching fingers to get his attention. "It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"There were always girls, I'm not going to lie there, but none of them seemed important enough for me to ask them be my girlfriend."

"Is that what Allie was?" Erin asked.

"Allie was, well _Allie_. Among the team, she's known as a cleat chaser. Only wants to date athletes with the hopes they will make her a trophy wife. She latched onto me pretty quick early on here, but she's annoying. Even though it was over in my book, she doesn't think so."

"Is that what happened that day in the library?"

Jay nodded, his mind flashing back to the day she mentioned.

"What are you smiling about?" Erin asked. Jay hadn't even realized he was smiling until she called him out.

"I was just thinking that there's one thing I can thank Allie for. She caused me to meet you."

Erin blushed, and Jay noticed as her face became flushed.

"I wouldn't say that, but if that's what you wanna think."

Jay nodded, and their moment was interrupted as their waitress brought them the check. Before Erin could suggest splitting the bill, he had pulled out his wallet and handed the waitress his card. Erin protested his actions after, but he just shook his head.

"Isn't it my job as your boyfriend to pay for our meal?"

Erin couldn't fight him with the smile he was giving her and gave up on arguing. She had a feeling this was what her life would look like for the foreseeable future, and she wasn't going to complain.

"You coming to the game Friday night?" he asked as they waited for the waitress to return.

"Playoffs, right?" Erin asked, and Jay nodded in response.

"Well I would be there anyways, but definitely Friday."

The waitress once again interrupted their conversation and soon they were out the door, walking hand in hand to Jay's truck.

"Do you wanna come back with me? I have practice later, but not for a few hours."

Erin nodded, stepping closer until their faces were inches apart.

"I think I'd like that," she replied before closing the distance between them.

* * *

"Ugh I'm nervous. And cold," Hailey grumbled. The weather at night in Chicago was becoming unbearable, but nothing was stopping the two girls from being at the game.

"Same, girl, same," Erin said, her teeth chattering as she moved closer to Hailey.

They were down by one point and they needed to win if they wanted to move on to the championship. It wasn't that Jay and his teammates were playing badly, the other team was just that good. Erin could tell that the score and everything else at stake was making Jay play angrier and harder, but she was worried that he would do something that would kill his chances, and his team's, at a championship.

He had been off all week. She had seen him maybe three times in the last five days and none for any extended period of time. She did however recall the end of a phone call with who he explained was his brother that had left him on edge for the time they sat in their usual coffee shop.

Erin didn't know the extent of Jay's relationship with his family, but it was all still new. If she was being honest, she didn't blame him because she wasn't ready to be spilling all her own family drama.

"Has Jay seemed, off, in class this week?" she asked Hailey, the words spilling out of her mouth before she processed them.

Hailey turned to look at her but what surprised Erin was the look of worry on her friend's face.

"Now that you say that, yes. He's been quiet in class, more so than usual, and snapped at me when I asked a simple question. I figured it was stress about the game."

Erin just nodded before looking back to the game. Maybe it was all stress about this game. Jay had mentioned that the team they were playing was their only loss and they were looking for revenge.

She didn't know how much time went by in the game until Jay started yelling at his coach. She swore in her head, knowing no good could come from this.

He was still yelling when he reached the sidelines but seemed to quiet down when Dawson pulled him away.

"He never gets involved," Hailey whispered.

Erin watched with baited breath as her boyfriend's trainer talked to him. She felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach as his posture grew tense and his eyes grow wide with fear.

"I have to go," she said, grabbing her bag. She had no idea what was going on but as she made her way down the bleachers, her eyes found his and she could see the panic in them. Her eyes stayed locked with his for a while, until his attention was back in front of him. Dawson was leading him towards the locker room and Erin wasted no time in following them.

Her mind was racing, but she could not figure out what the issue was. It hit her them just how little she knew about him, because there could be a million reasons as to why he was getting pulled out of a game with no injury or red cards.

As she reached the door to the locker room, she was met by Coach Dawson.

"What's wrong?" she asked. There was no time for introductions.

"You need to talk to him," Dawson said, motioning to the door.

Erin just nodded, took a deep breath and pushed open the door. She felt like she was moving in slow motion, that she couldn't get to Jay quick enough. As she rounded a corner, she saw him sitting on the floor, head down as his shoulders shook. It was the first time she had ever seen a guy cry and her heart positively broke.

"Jay," she whispered, moving towards him slowly. He looked up at the sound of her voice, his eyes red and filled with tears.

"Oh, babe," she whispered again, moving closer until she was crouched in front of him. Her hand found his, squeezing gently as her other ran through his hand.

"What's wrong?" she asked, hoping he would answer.

"Hospital," he said, hiccupping as he tried to catch his breath. "My mom."

Erin just nodded, standing up and reaching down to pull him up. He took her offered hand, and she pushed him down to the bench when they reached his open locker.

"Erin," he began but she shook her head.

"Hang on. You need to change shoes," she said.

Jay nodded, sitting still as she untied his cleats, slipping them off along with his shin guards. Fresh socks and his usual trainers followed. She pulled his jersey off, handing him the black tee shirt and hoodie that was in his bag. The door clanged shut and she grabbed her bag, offering her hand once again.

"I'll drive you. Where to?"

"Chicago Med."


	5. Chapter 5

**It's been too long for not updating this, but here we are! This is on the shorter side, but I wanted to give you all a new chapter and I needed to figure out where I planned to go for this again! I do have more updates ready to go, so I'll roll those out throughout the week!**

 **To everyone still sticking around, thank you! It means the world to me!**

 **Enjoy!**

* * *

Erin wasn't sure how long she had been staring at the wall in the waiting room at Chicago Med. Jay never said a word on the drive over and as soon as they parked, they parted ways, Jay rushing to find his mom and leaving Erin to sit in the lobby.

As she registered that she didn't know how long she had been here, she glanced at her phone. _11:34._ But she realized she didn't even know when they left the field. The exhaustion and worry that settled it wasn't enough to make her go home.

She was one of the few people in the waiting area. They entered at the ED entrance and that had become Erin's home for the last few hours. There had been a cycle of people in and out and she had tried to entertain herself and guess why people were there, but she eventually gave up. There had been one couple, that had been here since Erin arrived, and the grave look on their faces told her that things were not good.

She soon decided she had had enough and needed to do something, anything, to calm the growing worry she had in the pit of her stomach. She spotted the vending machines on the opposite side of the room, and after finding some cash in her bag, she made her way over. Just being able to stretch her legs was enough for her and she could feel some of her energy coming back.

The selections were bleak and questionable, but the universe gave her some sign telling her not to eat anything seconds later as a hard body collided with her, sending the granola bar she got to the floor. She didn't have the energy to argue with the guy but he still reached out to steady her.

"Hey, I'm sorry," he explained. "Kind of in a hurry."

"It's fine," Erin replied, looking up at the man. The second her eyes landed on his face, the lightbulb in her head began flickering.

"Have we met?" she asked, trying to place why he was so familiar.

He started shaking his head, obviously needing to be somewhere. But as he studied her, she watched his head cock to the side, his own mind forming realizations. It was then Erin saw the similarities, the way his eyebrows raised and the similar pattern of freckles across his face.

"Any relation to Jay Halstead?" she asked. The man looked taken aback, but he recovered, a smirk forming quickly.

"I'm his brother," Will answered. "And how do you know my brother?"

"I'm his girlfriend," Erin replied. "I'm guessing your flight just landed."

The smirk fell from Will's face as he nodded slowly. "I was the one that called Dawson to get Jay. I knew he had a game today. I'm not that much of an asshole."

Erin just nodded. She didn't know much about Will, but every time Jay ever spoke about his older brother, there was some animosity in his voice. She supposed right now she would give him the benefit of the doubt.

"How long have you been here?" he asked, sensing the silence between them.

"I'm not sure," Erin replied. "We left during his game and it's close to 11:30, so maybe two, three hours?"

Will hesitated, running a hand through his hair before looking back at his brother's girlfriend. It's quite a story to say the first time you meet the girlfriend to be in a hospital waiting room.

"It's going to be a long night, you should go and get some sleep. I'll let Jay know you're here."

"What's going on, Will?" she asked. Jay told her nothing and seeing Will here, all the way from New York, had increased the anxiety she was feeling.

Will hesitated, his creasing in a way that was so familiar to her, because Jay did the same thing when he was thinking.

"That's something Jay should tell you, but it's not good."

Erin nodded, mumbling a thank you to Will before letting him be on his way. She wasn't ready to leave, she wanted to be here for Jay, but it was getting late and she had already been dodging messages from their friends. She resigned to wait a few more minutes, hoping maybe Will stayed true to his word and let Jay knew she was here. And ten minutes later, he proved maybe he wasn't as much of an ass as she thought.

* * *

"Hey," Will said, walking into the hospital room. He had been in his fair share of them over the last few years, but his heart was pounding as he walked into his mom's.

Jay was the only one that seemed to hear him. His dad, as usual, was nowhere to be found.

"Hey," he replied, glancing up at his brother before back at his mom.

"Any news?" Will asked.

"They were in here earlier, but I didn't understand any of it. I told them my med school brother was on his way."

Will nodded, not missing the dig Jay had just given him. He wasn't oblivious to the fact his brother felt he abandoned him, leaving him at home with an abusive father. Will had never been happier the day Jay got out of that house, but he was also not surprised he chose to stay close to home.

"I'll track him down," Will said, not in the mood to get into it with his brother tonight. His mom wouldn't want that either.

"I ran into Erin in the waiting room," he said, watching as Jay's head shot back to him.

"She's still here?" he asked and Will just nodded.

"I don't think she ever left," he replied. There was a moment of silence between the two and Will could see Jay wanted a second to get out of here.

"Go see her, she looks like she needs sleep. Mom will be fine for a few minutes," Will encouraged.

Jay nodded, slowly getting up from the uncomfortable chair. Will couldn't imagine he was comfortable, coming straight from a game to sit in a hospital room.

"And Jay?" Will said, causing his brother to turn back to him. "I like her. Don't mess this up."

There was a small smile that fell on Jay's face, and Will knew that he was accepting the praise he was given. Their dad did nothing to be a supportive father, but Will was glad to help his brother for a few seconds.

"I won't," he replied before heading out.

* * *

"Erin," she heard Jay say, looking up to find him in the doorway leading to patient rooms.

"Hey," she said as he came over, pulling her tightly to him. She could tell he was exhausted by the way he held her and the ragged breaths that escaped him were evidence too. They stood like that for a while, her hand rubbing up and down his back in what she hoped was calming.

"I ran into Will, he told me I should head home, get some rest," she said, trying to gauge what he wanted her to do. She was his girlfriend after all.

"He's right," Jay said, pulling back and taking her hands in his. "We're going to be here for a while longer."

"Jay," she whispered, pulling him to follow her before heading outside, hoping it would grant them some more privacy. It was late, but the sounds of the city were still present, but they felt like they were in their own little world.

"What's wrong?" she asked, the question on her mind since they left the field. She could see the hesitation on Jay's face as he released a shaky breath.

"My mom," he started, his voice suddenly quiet and shy, a contrast to the confident man she knew. "She has cancer, has for the last few months."

Erin didn't say anything, not knowing what exactly to say, she just pulled him back into a hug. She trusted Jay would tell her more when he was ready.

"What do you need?" she asked after a few minutes.

"You," he answered with no hesitation. "She's going to be released soon. She started a new treatment this morning and had a bad reaction to it. They want to keep her for observation, but she's likely going to kick Will and me out soon."

He paused, reaching into his pocket to grab his keys.

"I'll be there soon. I just want to sleep and not think about tonight."

Erin just nodded, taking the apartment key from him. She leaned up, kissing him softly but he grabbed her waist, pulling her in closer. When they broke apart, his forehead rested against her, trying to savor this moment where he felt safe. When she left, he didn't know what emotions he would have.

"I'll be there," she replied, kissing him once more before walking towards her car.


End file.
